Cuba becomes first nation to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV [+ video]

Thanks to a monitoring programme run by the World Health Organization (WHO) and increased access to retroviral drugs, Cuba became the first country to virtually eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of HIV in June.

Cuba is "the first country in the world to receive validation from WHO that it has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis", the organization said in a June 30 statement.

“Eliminating transmission of a virus is one of the greatest public health achievements possible,” said Dr Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general. “This is a major victory in our long fight against HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and an important step towards having an AIDS-free generation.”

France 24